Introductory Class and Basics Intro

Task 1.1

Your first task will be to sign into the class blog and complete the student intake form that is posted there

Set up a GitHub Account before you do this. It will be helpful for me to have that info in my intake form database. See the basics task list. updated: 08/19/17

Intake form link

I will need to add you to the user list for you to access the class blog at infotools.web.unc.edu. I will wait until two days before the first day of class to do this.

Part of your Value Added grade is to make several posts on the class blog over the semester. These posts will introduce you to the workings of the WordPress Content management system available for use to all students and faculty. However, we keep Wordpress training at a bare minimum in this class. Instead, we will focus on learning the basics of UNIX, HTML and CSS which will prove to be more profitable for you, and may give you the confidence to adapt or build your own WordPress theme someday.

Task 1.2

Sign up for at least two newsletters

Sign up for at least two newsletters and make a screen shot of each one.  These will be uploaded to you Carolina Cloudapps account after you set that up.

Required

I want you all to sign up for two newsletters

1. Alertbox: Current Issues in Web Usability. Jakob Nielsen's biweekly column on how to design more usable websites
2. Technology Review: a journal of links to articles about technology developments (in their technical, social, and policy aspects)
   
   The Technology Review sign up form is an example of a very poorly designed User eXperience interface (UX)!  Let this be encouragement for you: Even MIT experts on tech can stand to improve their UX design. Here is some visual help for you:

Your choice

You may, depending on your interests, wish to sign up for one or more of these newsletters, but this is purely optional.

• Search Engine Watch : tips about internet search engines & search engine submission
• FirstMonday : a peer-reviewed scholarly journal from the University of Illinois, Chicago
• Scout Report: a publication of the Internet Scout Research Group, published every Friday both on the Web and by email subscription, it provides a way to stay informed of valuable STEM and humanities resources on the Internet.

If you wish to sign up for a newsletter as an RSS feed instead of as an email service, do so.

Just add a RSS.README in your basics-tasks repository.

Task 1.3

Install VPN application on your Laptop

If you are using your laptop from off-campus, most of the UNC servers that we will be using require a Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection. This requires you to download and install an application. Having the application installed is not enough; you will need to launch it before trying to connect. If you attempt to connect to a UNC server from off-campus and have not first launched the app, you may or may not get a warning. Click here for VPN install instructions